Loose Ends
by Jade Starlight
Summary: Cagalli Yula Attha's been acting Chief Rep of ORB for a while now, and with things changing between Earth and the PLANTs, she feels a need for change as well. As a b-day celebration, everyone's going on a trip that proves to be unexpected to say the least
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny or any of the characters, plot lines, etc. associated with it. I do, however, own this plot line and any other characters not in GS/GSD, so please don't use them without my permission. Thanks so much and happy reading!!!

**Prologue**

Cagalli's last meeting for this Friday afternoon was finally over. The blonde princess of Orb was thankful to be heading home a little early. A bit exhausted and eager to leave, she stretched and yawned while tapping one foot on the floor impatiently, waiting for the elevator that would take her to temporary freedom. Mondays through Fridays she was the Chief Representative of Orb, but Saturdays and Sundays she got to be plain old Cagalli Yula Attha.

The bell rang, signaling to her and the other council members that the elevator doors were about to open. As soon as they did, she rushed in and pushed the first floor button, smiled to herself, then stepped to the back for the others to file in. They were all chattering comfortably amongst each other about the latest bill to be passed between the PLANTs and the Earth Alliance. All except for the Chief Representative, that is.

"Do you think it's really a good idea though? I find it hard to believe that after the second war the Earth Alliance and ZAFT are finally going to accept each other's differences and allow equal standing between Coordinators and Naturals in all governments. Doesn't it seem strange that they are coming to this conclusion after all of the constant rejections of proposals over the last three years?"

Cagalli sighed as she listened to Representative Nori Seiran, cousin to the late Yuna Roma Seiran. _Some things will never change,_ she thought as she cleared her throat. All chattering stopped at the sound as all eyes turned to her.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please understand that what the Earth Alliance and ZAFT are trying to do is create a better existence for all of humanity. Natural or Coordinator, the labels do not matter anymore to anyone. The only thing that does is creating a world void of unnecessary conflict, so that mankind can move on to better days and focus on more important things, such as our energy crisis on earth. I would think that, as leaders of Orb, who have upheld this particular ideal for decades, you would all clearly understand that. Do not forget that Orb was selected by the Earth nations and the PLANT colonies as a leader and negotiator in this particular plan to integrate the Coordinators and Naturals on the earth and in space. If you'll pardon my comment, isn't this something Orb had been wishing for since the battles began?" The group was now in the lobby, circled around Cagalli, who was getting a bit peeved by their behavior. _Didn't we just go over this not even an hour ago?_ she thought tiredly.

Nori Seiran smiled nervously and chuckled, reminding Cagalli of his detestable late cousin. He even had the same unruly purple hair and blue eyes, though his hair was much shorter than Yuna's. A shudder passed through her at his chuckle, and she turned, straightening herself so she appeared confident.

"Miss Attha, we understand this perfectly, and I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we agree one hundred and ten percent with all of this, for as you said, Orb has been trying to spread this ideal for a long time now. I was simply stating that this conclusion, though it's taken two wars and nearly three years of negotiations, seems to be suddenly accepted, despite the current disputes between the PLANTs and Earth Alliance. It appears that one moment they couldn't understand each other, and the next they were agreeing to allow for Coordinators and Naturals to move to and live wherever they chose, whether it be space or earth. It simply seems unlikely to me that such a conclusion was reached so quickly."

Cagalli sighed again and shook her head. "I understand that, Mr. Seiran, but in all reality this is something that has been building over time. It may seem like it is a large jump from the disputes we heard only a month ago, but in fact it is not. This is, without a doubt, the only effective solution towards a better tomorrow. If we want the unnecessary conflict to subside, a good way to do that would be to allow for Coordinators and Naturals to exist together so that they may have a sense of community and understanding towards one another. What better solution could there be than that?"

"I suppose you have a valid point, Cagalli." Nori Seiran smiled as they walked towards the doors to the front steps of the building.

"Representative Seiran, I would greatly appreciate it if you would please refrain from calling me by my first name. It is disrespectful to me, and I do not wish to be on a first name basis with you." They were through the doors and in the warm evening air. The sun was lower in the sky, but it was only five o'clock, it wouldn't set for another four hours.

"My apologies, Miss Attha, I meant no disrespect. Honestly though, we've known each other since we were children. Must I be formal with you?" He stepped in front of her, blocking the path to her limo, where she saw the tall, dark skinned Kisaka looking at her in confusion. She balled her fists at her side, refraining from pushing Nori out of her personal space.

"While we are at work, please address me formally. Any other time you may call me Cagalli. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a dinner date." Cagalli walked quickly passed Nori and was in the limo pulling away before he could say anything else.

"Cagalli, that was a bit rude, don't you agree?" Kisaka said as they sped onto the highway, toward the orphanage. She ignored his question and instead asked one of her own.

"Did you remember to ask Mana for some clothes for me? I'm going to spend the weekend with Kira and Lacus, so I need to be prepared of course." She turned attention out the window, watching the coastline zoom by.

"I did, though I doubt you're going to like what she's packed for you." The look on Kisaka's face, one of amusement and fear, told her that Mana had managed to sneak in all the things Cagalli detested wearing. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed, something she started doing quite a bit lately. They were rounding the bend just before the scenic driveway to the orphanage by the sea. Cagalli smiled to herself despite her thoughts. Then, without warning, she pushed the button that opened the sun roof and stood on the limo's seat.

"Miss Cagalli, be careful! You really should get down!" Kisaka chuckled anyway, despite the protests.

"Come on Kisaka! Live a little!" She opened her arms and closed her eyes, taking in the warm breeze as they neared the orphanage. She loved the way the wind played with her golden locks, whipping them back as they pressed on. She giggled and opened her eyes to the peaceful scenery in front of her. The house and drive was to the left with the beach in front of her. She braced for the slow and sudden stop, smiling widely at the sight before her.

The orphanage was an older mansion, once belonging to her father. It was a vacation place for her family when she was young. They would make trips there constantly when they couldn't go on actual vacations, getting away from her father's spot in the limelight. It was a huge, Victorian style mansion, a soft white color with lots of windows and lots of room. Memories always flooded back to Cagalli when she looked at it, happy ones about running and playing with her mother and father, Mana and eventually even Kisaka.

"Cagalli, how nice to see you!" Lacus's tiny voice interrupted her reveree. Cagalli smiled at the sound of her future sister-in-law's voice and climbed out of the sun roof and jumped down. Lacus smiled and laughed, knowing very well Cagalli's nature.

"Hey Lacus! It's been a while," Cagalli hugged the long pink haired pop star and kissed her cheek. She and Lacus had gotten close over the years, and Lacus and Cagalli soon found a sister/friend relationship with each other that neither had ever had before. Kira of course loved that his sister and fiancé could get along so well, even if some of the girly stuff freaked him out sometimes.

"It has Cagalli. Kira and I and the others are so glad you could join us after all this weekend. We have some important things to discuss with everyone." The two waltzed up to the front door, Kisaka in tow with Cagalli's bag.

"Really? I hope it's not bad news, Lacus. I don't know how much more pressure I can handle right now." Her amber orbs dulled a bit as the thoughts plaguing her trip here came flooding back. Lacus say the frown and smiled, patting her on the back reassuringly.

"It's good news, trust me!"

"Cagalli, where should I set your bag?" Kisaka broke into the conversation. Cagalli grabbed it from him and stuck a protesting hand up when he tried to take it back.

"Nuh-uh, Kisaka, I've got it just fine. You go enjoy your weekend off now. Don't worry about me, I'm in good hands. And please don't forget to pick me up Sunday evening. I have a conference early on Monday morning with the Scandinavian Representative, and I have some things to finish before that meeting." Kisaka smirked and bowed before turning about face and heading back to the limo. Cagalli waved and turned to head in behind Lacus.

"Cagalli! It's Cagalli everyone!" A little boy of about eight rushed Cagalli as she stepped inside. He latched onto her waist and gave her a huge hug, to which she squeezed back, smiling. He looked up at her, blushing, dark brown eyes dancing with glee.

"Well, it's nice to see you too, Andrew," she kissed his cheek and laughed when he pushed away from her and started prancing around, wiping it with his hand.

"Eww! I have cooties now! Gross!" The dark haired little boy ran into the other room, where she heard children laughing. Lacus covered her mouth, suppressing a giggle.

"That's one way to get him off of you, huh, Cagalli?" Kira came walking over, smirking at his sister. He hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek in greeting. Cagalli laughed and nodded.

"Well, I had to do something or else I was going to have a new growth all weekend."

"True, though you know he secretly has a crush on you right?" Kira raised a brow and smiled again, amethyst eyes dancing at his sister's blush.

"No way! He only likes me cuz I act more like one of the guys. Besides, he's only eight, Kira. Boys don't even like girls till junior high at least." Cagalli rolled her eyes and started for the stairs that led to the second floor.

"Boys are boys, Cagalli. Where are you going?" He eyed her suspiciously as she continued her trek up the stairs.

"Kira, I can't exactly enjoy myself in my maroon suit, now can I? let me change and I'll be down, okay?"

"Oh yea, I guess you're right. See ya in a minute then." With that, Lacus and Kira left Cagalli to her room, hand in hand on their way out of the room, she noticed. Cagalli smiled to herself when she saw this, happy that Lacus and Kira were together.

***************************************************************************************

Hey all! I'm back with some new fanfiction! Yay! I really didn't wanna write this at first, but since my muse won't stop throwing around these ideas about Gundam Seed in my head, i couldn't pass it up! Anyhoo, I need feedback, and flames are welcome too, though I appreciate nicer ones to mean ones. So, let me know what ya think and if I should keep it up, okay? Much appreciated all! *throws kisses*


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny or any of it's characters, plot lines, settings, etc. (If I did, I' would be filthy rich and NOT writing this!) I do own any other characters, plot lines, etc. that come up in this fic, however.**_

_**AN: Thanks to the two who reviewed my story, Darky6 and Hegodart! I'm writing more cuz you guys asked me too! And thanks to those of you who are flagging this as a favorite! I'll try not to disappoint. And now, on with the juicy story! *bows and leaves*  
**_

**Chapter One**

"So, Cagalli came after all, Kira?" Meyrin asked as the couple entered the living room. Kira nodded in reply and took a seat on the couch next to the red-headed coordinator.

"Does she know we're all here?" Athrun asked, concern in his voice. Lacus shook her head, making the blue-haired ex-soldier frown. _I hope she doesn't freak out_, he thought.

"Don't worry guys, I'm sure Cagalli will be fine with this plan. I've noticed her demeanor's changed, especially lately. She'll welcome the idea of a trip away for a while. She's just as tired as the rest of us," Lacus said, a smile plastered on her face at the thought of their plans. Shinn, Luna, Meyrin, and Athrun nodded, but no one actually agreed. They all knew Cagalli well enough to know that you could never really predict what she'd do or say about something, no matter who you were.

"That's easy for you to say, considering you two are in similar situations, Lacus. However, let's not forget just how dedicated the princess of ORB can be. I think it'll take a lot of convincing explanations for her to agree to drop everything and take off, even if it is only one week," Luna, the hot pink, short haired girl said. It was at that moment that the blonde princess decided to grace them with her presence. She paused in the doorway when six pairs of eyes all turned on her.

"C-Cagalli? Wow, I mean, uh," Shinn Auska's red eyes went wide as he stood up and bowed to greet her with everyone else. Cagalli blushed and growled a bit, eying Shinn in the process. Everyone saw her tense up, and they all watched in anticipation of what was going to happen next. Cagalli was a hot-tempered young woman, and sometimes it didn't take much to set her off.

"Look, if I'd known you'd all be here, I'd have gone home and done the packing myself. As it stands, I'm stuck in these things till Monday." She motioned to the sundress she was wearing, sighed, and stalked over to where her brother, Meyrin, and Lacus were all seated. Kira, being who he was, just eyeballed her some more, eyes as big as saucers.

"Man Cagalli, it still amazes me how well you can clean up!" he stated blatantly, referring to the plain green sundress she had on, her now longer, mid-back length hair pulled into a ponytail. The dress was oddly similar to the pink one Lacus was wearing; Cagalli's had an empire waist with a ribbon tied around it while Lacus's had beading around hers. The young natural glared at her brother and balled her fists.

"And just what is that supposed to mean, Kira? Are you saying I'm ugly or something?" She clenched her jaw, attempting to hold the anger back. The brunette coordinator immediately started waving his hands in protest, shaking his head back and forth violently.

" N-no Cagalli! I just meant that when you wear that stuff, it reminds that-"

"That I'm a girl! Is that it?" Cagalli intched closer to Kira, fist raised, poised for an attack. Kira just backed away nervously, laughing a little all the while.

"Why, oh why, is _that_ all you stupid men can ever say to me when I actually act and look like a girly girl! Do I really look that masculine to everyone! For Heaven's sake, maybe I should've just been born a boy! It would've saved everyone from confusion!" Cagalli was stomping toward Kira, face red with fury, eyes blazing, as everyone watched the scene.

"Come on Cagalli, I didn't mean it like that and you know it! Honestly, I was just trying to say that you look nice when you dress that way. Really I was!" Kira was backing up still, attempting to get away, but Cagalli had him against the fireplace, and he had nowhere to go. She glared at him, nose to nose, amber meeting amethyst, burning a hole in Kira's face. He just bursted out laughing out of nowhere, being typical Kira, trying to lighten the mood.

"What's so damn funny, you ass? I don't find any of this humorous!" She crossed her arms and started to pout. Kira, however, couldn't hold it back anymore and started rolling with laughter. Soon, Cagalli heard the others join him, reminding her they had an audience. Her face got beet red again, only this time, it was out of embarrassment.

"Sorry, Cagalli. We just couldn't help it! You two are hilarious! You act like you're-"

"Oh goody, glad you're all amused," she huffed, putting one hand on her right hip, rolling her eyes at Shinn. That only brought on more laughter, to which she couldn't help but sigh in frustration.

"Come now, Cagalli, don't be so upset! You know how bad Kira is at giving compliments!" Lacus said, smiling as always. Cagalli blushed and huffed yet again, turning away from everyone, even more embarrassed now. She did laugh a bit though, at the thought that she probably looked like an eight year old with her little tantrums. _I guess it is a little silly_, she thought. When the giggling finally died down, she turned to go take a seat next to Athrun, the only seat conveniently open. She sat down silently, avoiding his sidelong glances. Everyone was oblivious to the awkwardness between them, turning their attention to Kira and Lacus, who had moved to the front of the room. Cagalli scooted to the end of the small couch, putting a little distance between she and Athrun. He noticed this and frowned a little.

"Okay, you all know what's going on, so let's get to it." Before Cagalli could interject, Kira went right into the explanation, knowing she what she would ask.

"As you know, Cagalli had a birthday a couple of months ago. You also know she did not get to celebrate it the way a normal 21 year old would, due to her responsibilities as Chief Representative." All eyes were on him now. Cagalli raised a brow in question, wondering why her birthday was the center of the discussion, and she was surprised everyone even knew when it was.

"Because of this, and the fact that none of us have had a real break since the wars began, Kira and I decided it was time for one. We've all worked very, very hard for several years now, but we are all still young. That's why we feel it's a good idea if everyone comes with us on a little tropical vacation." Lacus clasped her hands together and smiled when everyone grinned, even Shinn. The only one who wasn't was, surprisingly, a certain blonde sitting on the small red couch.

"U-um, excuse me? I don't think that's possible," Cagalli said as she stood up and walked over to Lacus and Kira.

"Now Cagalli-"

"Really Kira, I can't go, as tempting as it is. You know the duties I have here, and with the conference between the Earth Alliance, ORB, and ZAFT coming up in September, my plate is super full right now." Cagalli bowed her head, feeling disappoint at have to miss out on another fun, normal event, one that didn't involve people twice her age.

"But-" Kira started again, but it was Lacus who intervened this time. She took Cagalli's hands in hers, making Cagalli look up. Lacus smiled that contagious smile of hers, blue eyes sparkling with determination.

"Cagalli, I have a lot of responsibility too, you know, since I am on the Supreme Council of ZAFT." Cagalli nodded, eyes laced with sadness. _I know, but you aren't head of a nation, so even you don't understand what I have to do daily, _she thought to herself. She wanted to protest, but allowed Lacus to continue anyway.

"Kira, Dearka, Yzak, Shinn, Luna, and Meyrin are full time military personnel for ZAFT as well. They have to report to work more than fourty hours a week, just like us. And Athrun, even he has his full schedule in the ORB military. However, we all receive vacation for our efforts, and that includes you." Lacus looked firmly into Cagalli's eyes. The blonde only sighed. Before she could speak, though, she was cut off again.

"No, especially you, because you are head of a nation right now," Kira chimed in.

"You need to allow some time for yourself, or else you're going to get too burned out, and then what good can you serve the world if you are in no shape to make good decisions because you've overworked yourself?" Lacus finished. Cagalli's shoulders shrank; she rubbed her forehead, eyes closed.

"I understand what you're saying, and I know how much work you all put into your jobs, so please, do not take this the wrong way. None of you have to deal with as much as I do, and none of you could possibly understand that. I mean, maybe Athrun can, seeing as his father _was _leader of the PLANTs recently, but even then," she paused, rubbing her forehead again, feeling a migraine coming on. She took a deep breath and looked into the sad faces of her brother and friend, then turned to look at the others. Suddenly she felt like she was ruining someone's good time, so she put on the best smile she could manage.

"Could I please consider this first? I need to make sure that I can actually take the time away before I make a decision. If there's too much to do, I won't be able to go and enjoy myself. And if anything should go wrong, knowing I voluntarily looked the other way when I could have spent more time on things will haunt me forever." She turned to Kira and smiled at his goofy grin. She could tell he thought they'd won this argument. _If only you knew Kira._

Cagalli turned to look at everyone again, making eye contact with each of them as she spoke so her point would come across clearly. "I completely understand the need for a vacation, believe me. I've been dreaming of one since before the end of the last war. However, you all have to understand that I am in charge of an entire country! It just isn't as easy to leave knowing that I have so many things I have to overlook all the time. You may not realize it, but running a country is a twenty-four hour, seven days a week obligation. I can't just run off whenever I want to, nor can I choose what I need to deal with or when I deal with them. For me, I'm on call to others' needs constantly, and when they come up, I have to do it, no ifs, ands, or buts about it."

When no one said anything for a few minutes, Cagalli just slumped her shoulders over and waltzed out of the room, heading for the back door. Everyone stayed silent until she left, feeling the heavy emotions rolling off of what she said. When she disappeared from their sight completely, everyone was frowning.

"Kira, I know she does run the country and all, but isn't she being a little too serious about this?" Luna asked. Everyone waited for Kira's response, and he nodded.

"Yea, but she is right. There's a lot to do when you're the main leader of a country, no matter how young or old you are. Cagalli seems like she's not happy anymore, though. She's always stressed and tired, and I think it's taking its toll on her, emotionally and physically. Truth be told, I'm worried for her, and so is Lacus." The pink haired coordinator nodded in agreement, frowning at the thought of her friend's current state.

"I think the job has become too much for her, but instead of voicing this, or trying to change things, she's pushing herself over the edge," Lacus said.

"You mean she…" Meyrin couldn't even finish the sentence.

"No, she hasn't gotten suicidal, if that's what you're alluding to. Her heart just isn't in things anymore. She puts on a good front most of the time, but I've seen her when she's had a bad moment, and let me tell you, it isn't pretty." Kira looked off toward the door Cagalli just left out of, sighing heavily as he thought of his sister when she broke down in front of him. He remembered how fragile and sad she looked, how broken and scared, feeling so lost and alone. It broke his heart to think of it.

As everyone sat in silence, Athrun stood and left, going out the same door Cagalli went out of. Despite the situation, smiles graced everyone's faces, knowing he was going after her.

Cagalli walked barefoot through the sand, staring out at the ocean as she trailed the waterline on the beach. She heard the kids off playing in the yard of the orphanage, and she smiled to herself. Then she sighed and kept walking, no particular destination in mind.

"If only I had more time for these things. Life would certainly be more enjoyable, Father." She looked up toward the sky, the sun slowly setting, nearly taking her breath away. It had been a good hour she guessed since the conversation inside, but she wasn't ready to go in yet. Things were too peaceful out here, away from the rest of the world. She treasured every second she got to be alone like this, because it rarely happened anymore. Lately, she'd be interrupted all hours of the day over this policy or that argument, this meeting or that conversation via video phone.

"Father, I know you wanted me to live a long and happy life, but I just don't see how that's going to happen as long as I keep leading this country. How did you do it?" Cagalli plopped down, sandals in hand, and stretched out her legs, letting the silent waves wet her feet. She leaned back on her elbows and stared at the horizon, then continued out loud. She had these talks often when no one was around. They helped her cope with things sometimes. It felt like her father was still there, guiding her, silly as it sounded.

"If only you were still here. You could tell me what to do." She sighed again, tears welling in her eyes. "I love you Father, but I am angry that you left me. You had to have known this wouldn't end well! It is me, after all, and no matter how much I grow up, I'm still going to be that hot-headed, independent little girl who would rather be off doing her own thing than stuck here leading a nation. So why is that I am in this position? Why did they feel the need to appoint me as Chief Rep?"

Just then, her cell phone buzzed, and she pulled the small device out of her little pocket from her dress. She saw the name and huffed.

"Ms. Athha speaking. What do you want, Nori? How'd you get this number?"

"_My, aren't we a bit touchy today? Wait, did you just call me by my name? So now we can be informal? What happened to doing things properly, Cagalli?"_ His deeper voice sounded amused. Cagalli wasn't.

"Look, Nori, if this isn't something important, I need to go, because I was in the middle of something!" she snapped. She heard him sigh and instantly regretted it. Sure, he could be annoying at times, but he wasn't nearly as bad as Yuna had been. Cagalli and Nori actually used to be close at one time, when they were younger.

"_Chill out, Cagalli! I merely wanted to see what you were up to. Can't a guy inquire about a friend's personal life?"_

"Sorry, I'm just kinda stressed at the moment. Can I call you later?"

"_No, I want to talk now. You never give me any time anymore, and I'd like to talk one on one with you about things other than politics."_

"Well, Nori, I really don't have time right now. I'm visiting some friends of mine and I have to go." Before he could protest, she hung up, feeling bad about the decision, but she knew he wasn't about to give up, so she had to if she ever wanted to get away. She layed back, hands behind her head, eyes close, and took in a deep breath. She let it out slowly, then smiled.

"Where was I father, before we were interrupted? Ah yes," she opened her eyes to the clear sky above. "Why am I leading our nation?"

"Because you are the best thing for this nation, Cagalli, or you wouldn't have been given the opportunity to serve as the Chief Representative." Cagalli sat up stark straight, blushing, and turned to see Athrun standing behind her, smiling. She turned back around and stood, waltzing away a bit nervously, embarrassed that he caught her at such a vulnerable moment.

"H-how long were you there?!" she fumbled out as she kept walking briskly down the shore. Athrun chuckled and followed, eventually cutting in front of her, making her stop. He grabbed her forearms when she went to turn away.

"Only for a few minutes, I swear. Wait, would you? I came out here to see you." She looked up and saw concern in his emerald eyes. _Damn him! I can't ever say no to him!_ She thought as she nodded and crossed her arms, signaling him to talk. He smiled genuinely at her demeanor.

"You haven't changed all that much, have you?" Athrun said. Cagalli huffed and glared.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" she said between clenched teeth. "Look, if all you wanted was to talk, then why didn't you save yourself the trouble of pissing me off by spying on me?"

"I wasn't spying, Cagalli. I just-"

"I get it, Athrun." She whirled in the other direction, out of his grip, and started walking, slower this time. He kept her pace easily, glancing sideways as they went along.

"I'm worried about you, though, Cagalli. I'm worried that you're pushing yourself too hard." She stopped mid stride and turned to him, shocked. "I know things have been very hard on you. I see it every time I see you," he continued. Cagalli frowned and stepped forward a little, so she could get closer to the blue-haired coordinator. She went on tip toe, to be nearly eye level with him and glared. Her angry amber orbs met his concerned, and frightened, green ones.

"What? Athrun, you haven't seen me in over six months! Not since the last time I came down to inspect Morgeanrate's progress." Anger laced her voice as she jabbed a finger in his chest. Athrun just chuckled nervously and blushed. This puzzled the blonde, so she stepped away a little again, one eyebrow raised in question.

"I know, but I don't miss one single televised conference, speech, or anything else that you do in public. I even read all the magazines you're in." He smiled sheepishly and turned his head to the right, avoiding her eyes. Cagalli stared in shock and then proceeded to giggle, also blushing. This got Athrun to turn back around.

"Athrun, are you my stalker now?" she said between giggles. He blinked twice and then smiled, starting to laugh too.

"I guess it does sound that way, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it certainly does! Though I'm glad it's you and not some stranger! Heaven knows I don't need any more crazy Cagalli fanatics!" She burst out laughing then, falling to the sandy ground. The thought of Athrun sending her love notes made her laugh uncontrollably. He just wasn't that sort of guy, not with any girl, ever. Athrun immediately stopped laughing and frowned though.

"W-what do you mean by that?" Cagalli tried to stop giggling and stood up, brushing off her legs of sand. Then she shrugged and turned, heading toward the orphanage again, hoping he'd let it drop. When he asked again, she shrugged as casually as she could.

"Nothing really. I just get the occasional marriage proposal via mail or e-mail, flowers and gifts are randomly sent to me, and there was this one time that a guy actually made it to my front door before the guards caught him! Nothing to be concerned about though. It isn't like I have them appearing at my bedroom door or my office or anything." She shrugged again and kept walking. Athrun frowned as he followed, not liking this conversation anymore. Cagalli was oblivious to the look on his face as she headed for the house again.

"Wow, you have quite the fan base then, huh?" he tried to say lightly. It came out more angry than he wanted, causing Cagalli to whip around and glare. If it's one thing she hated, it was everyone acting like she couldn't take care of herself.

"Look Athrun, I get that you're a friend and all, and you worry for my safety, but we haven't been together in a while, so please don't start getting overprotective while you're here. I have my brother and Kisaka for that!"

"I know that Cagalli! You make it sound like I'm jealous or something!" He yelled back. She turned and stomped the rest of the way to the house, Athrun in tow.

"You _are_ acting that way, Athrun! Geez! What am I supposed to think?" They walked inside to the dining room where everyone else was gathering too, and sat across from each other at the long dinner table. Cagalli was glaring daggers at Athrun, who had a look of shock on his face. Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch, knowing this couldn't end well.

"Well excuse me for being concerned about you! Apparently friends can't be that way with you, only brothers, body guards, and boyfriends!" Now it was her turn to look appalled. She stood up, hands slamming onto the table. She leaned forward, glaring over him.

"I did not say that Athrun! I only meant you shouldn't get so jealous! It's not your place anymore!" Athrun stood up and took the same stance as her at that retort, face very close to hers.

"Well that wasn't my decision, was it?" His voice was low and angry. Cagalli blinked, stung by what he said. She stood up, frowning and furious, tears forming. Athrun had moved upright as well, and he looked apologetic the second after the words came out. He stepped around the table and tried to grab her hand, but she jerked back. With one last, tear filled look at him, she turned and ran out of the room. Everyone was stunned in silence as they heard a door slam above them, and knew they weren't going to see Cagalli again for a while.


	3. Chapter 3

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny, much as I hate that. I do own any other characters I make up, and this storyline, however.**_

_**AN: Thanks again to Usako Hoshino and Hegodart for reviewing! Because of you, I am keeping it up today and writing as much as I can! And thanks to the rest of you for adding my lil' fic as a favorite again! Don't be shy thoguh,a nd please review and criticize! The only reason I'm doing this is to practice my writing skills, so I appreciate feedback! And so there's no confusion, this takes place about two years after the end of the last war in Gudnam Seed Destiny, so it is post GS/GSD. I guess you could say this is how I figured things went: Ahtrun stayed in Orb with Meyrin to work with Morgeanrate and the Orb military, Lacus is now on the PLANT Supreme Council, Kira, Shinn, Lunamaria, Dearka, and Yzak are all in the ZAFT military now, and Miriellia (who will come later) is back to freelance photography.**_ _**ON WITH THE SHOW!!!**_

CHAPTER TWO

Cagalli was in her comfortable summer pajamas: a green wife beater tank and a pair of light cotton drawstring pants with different colored green stripes. She strolled onto the balcony adjacent to her room, sighing into the warm night air. Her hair was still damp from her shower, and now it hung loosely down her back, the breeze playing with the already dry tresses.

_So much for a relaxing weekend,_ she thought dryly, reviewing the earlier evening's events. Feeling a little depressed, she leaned onto the balcony's railing, chin resting on a cupped hand, elbow resting on the rail. Her eyes searched the landscape in front of her, taking in the darkened waters and twinkling lights of the city. Then she absently looked up, smiling at the starlit sky. If it hadn't been for that fight with Athrun, she may actually feel happy right now. Instead, she felt like her heart had been ripped out and stomped on, yet again.

"Why does this always happen? It's like every time we're together, father, we do nothing but fight! Things were never like this before! It only happened after… after," she stopped her words and started to cry a little. Saying the truth aloud was too much for her still, apparently. Cagalli closed her eyes tightly and sucked in a deep breath. Standing up straight as a pin, she let it out, feeling herself trying to relax. It worked well enough to stop further tears, but not enough to make her muscles relax.

After about five minutes of pacing the balcony, she decided to go for another leisurely walk down the shore. Like earlier, she knew it would help her relax, and she needed a good night's rest for once. Her mind made up, she slipped on a thin white robe and some white flip flops, headed out her door, tiptoeing in the hallway.

"Oh, hey Cagalli! We thought you went to bed since it's been so quiet for a while!" Cagalli jumped and spun around. She hadn't realized her brother was there when she stepped out.

"Geez Kira! You could have given me a heart attack! Don't sneak up on me like that!" she huffed. He just raised his brows in surprise and laughed.

"I didn't mean to scare you! By the way," he looked at her confused, "why are you sneaking around?"

Cagalli's cheeks took on a light pink hue and she looked away, hugging her robe closed.

"I-I wasn't sneaking around! I just figured you'd all be in bed by now, and I needed to expel some energy so-"

"So you're quietly sneaking out of your room and down the stairs, right?" Kira laughed again and shook his head at his sister.

"What's so funny Kira? Do I have something on my face?" She moved a hand over it absently.

"No, it's just so typical of you to avoid contact with everyone, that's all." Kira, also in his pajamas, strolled further down the hall, not waiting for Cagalli's response. She figured he was off to bed, so she let his comment go and headed down the stairs. When she saw that no one was in the lounging room, she headed quietly to the glass door, then out and down towards the beach.

It was warm, but not hot, so Cagalli casually slipped her robe off and tied it around her waist. She glided silently down to the water, never taking her eyes off of it. The moon was reflecting beautifully after the crystal water.

"I never get tired of this place," a familiar voice said. Startled for the second time that evening, she turned to face the culprit. It was Meyrin Hawk, the young coordinator who helped Athrun escape ZAFT during the second war. Cagalli smiled nervously at the younger girl.

"I hear ya. When I'm here, I feel like everything else was a dream, and this is reality. Too bad that's not true." Cagalli laughed cynically, causing the redhead to raise a brow.

"I know we haven't known each other for very long, and I know that we aren't that close, but Cagalli, if you ever need to talk," Meyrin's voice was full of sympathy. Cagalli turned to the girl and smiled genuinely at her.

"I know, and I appreciate it. Don't worry about me though, okay? I'll be fine. I always am," the last bit she said more to herself than Meyrin. Meyrin smiled an nodded, then turned to go in, but not before saying one last thing.

"He misses you, you know." Cagalli's eyes went as wide a s saucers. She turned and stared at the back of Meyrin's head, astonished. "He won't ever let on, because he's the kind of person that likes to believe he can do fine on his own, but I see it, Cagalli. We've been roommates for a couple of years now, and I see it every day, especially when he sees pictures of you, or hears you on the radio or television. The longing in his eyes is always there for you. What he said earlier, he said out of hurt, but he didn't mean to hurt you. He felt pretty bad about it."

"Meyrin-"

"I just thought you should know. I like Athrun, he's like a brother to me." The red head turned and smiled, the wind whipping her long hair around her. "It was you who said to look after him, and I think that telling you this is one way of doing it. He needs you in his life, Cagalli." And with that, Meyrin Hawk walked away.

Cagalli was so moved and so shocked by everything, she felt like she needed to sit. Not wanting to get herself full of sad before bed, she walked back up to the house, taking a seat on one of the lawn chairs resting on the porch. She turned it so she still had a view of the ocean, and laid it all out so she could lay in it instead of sit up. Then she stretched and put her hands behind her head, propping it up a little. She crossed her legs and sighed, looking into the starry night again. A stray tear escaped her right eye. She closed her eyes to stop the rest, and stayed that way, mulling over everything that happened between her and Athrun, her and Meyrin, and the upcoming trip. And that's how she fell asleep, lying on the chair, thoughts racing through her tired brain.

_Ring, ring, ring…_ Cagalli grunted and rolled over, hand searching for her night table. Absently she stretch out, and immediately fell off of the beach chair, landing with a thud on the wooden deck. She sat up, confused as to where she was for a moment, then jumped when she heard the ringing again. She frantically pulled her small phone out of the pocket of her robe, hoping the sound wasn't waking anyone else. _I forgot to turn it down, damn!_ she thought. Though she was sleepy till, she knew it was the middle of the night, and couldn't fathom who'd be calling her.

"H-hello? Cagalli here," she said, trying to be quiet.

_"Miss Cagalli, it's Kisaka. Are you alright?"_ Concern laced his deep voice. Cagalli frowned at his question.

"Yea, I'm fine Kisaka, what's up? Why are you-"

_"Good," _he cut her off. _"I'm sending the driver over in my car. Be ready in fifteen minutes. I need you to come back." _ He sounded relieved, but Cagalli noted the worry in his voice, sending her own mild panic through her.

"Kisaka, what is it? Are you hurt? What's going on?" Now she sounded panicked. Kisaka picked up on it and tried to sound as convincing as possible, so as not to send her into a rampage.

_"I will tell you everything when you arrive. Don't worry, Cagalli, nothing…serious has happened…"_ he trailed off a bit, and Cagalli didn't buy his reassuring tone.

"Kisaka, you are a _terrible_ liar! What the hell is going on?" Now she sounded pissed. Cagalli was pacing the deck, and when she said this, she'd stopped in front of a small table, slamming a hand on it. She forgot how late it was and that the house was full of people. Lights flicked on above her, but she paid no attention to them. Instead, she was seething into the phone.

_"Cagall, I'd rather you allow me to wait until you're here."_ She noted how he sounded nervous and sad, but didn't care. She wanted answers now.

"Kisaka, I demand that you tell me this minute!" she shouted. There was noise of a door opening behind her, and she heard footsteps, but she barely paid any attention. Her stomach started doing flips as she waited for his answer. She heard a sigh on the other end, and knew he was going to talk.

"Cagalli, what are you-" she threw a hand up to silence her brother, who was standing in front of her. He shut up immediately when he saw the look on her face turn from one of anger to complete shock. Her amber eyes glistened with tears as she dropped the phone, slumping to her knees. Kira picked it up.

"Who is this?" he waited for answer. All eyes were on him, except for one person's, Athrun. The blue haired coordinator knelt in front of Cagalli, who was silently crying into her hand. He laid a hand on her shoulder.

"I see. Yes, we'll all come. I understand. What? Okay, no problem. See you soon," Kira snapped the phone shut and sighed. He looked miserable as he took in his sister's form, hunched over, shaking with grief.

"Kira?" Lacus's tiny voice rang out with concern. He looked at everyone.

"We have to go with her. Kisaka said to bring all of you with, that this concerned us all." He looked at Shinn and Athrun. "Can you get Meyrin, Luna, and Lacus to the capitol building safely? I need to get Cagalli to the hospital."

"Uh, sure, but why are you going there? Cagalli's not hurt," he said. Luna hit him in the ribs and shook her head.

"Well duh, Shinn. I don't think that's why they're going," she said.

"No, no it's not. We're going because, because," Kira stopped as his sister stood and turned around. Athrun stood close to her, his hand now off of her shoulder. He saw the flash of anger and knew this wasn't good.

"W-we're going there to see someone," she whispered, slight anger in her voice. A stray tear fell as she stepped through the group, to the door. Athrun was in tow, and Cagalli, though she noticed, didn't bother to say anything to him.

"C-Cagalli, who is it?" Lacus asked. Cagalli spun around, eyes fierce, but not towards Lacus. Lacus frowned and tears welled up at her next words.

"It's Mana. They got Mana," she whispered. Everyone's eyes went wide in disbelief, even Athrun's. They all loved Mana, almost as much as Cagalli did, and they didn't want to hear that she'd been hurt.

Without another word, Cagalli trudged through the door, heading for the stairs. When she was halfway up, she realized again that she wasn't alone.

"Athrun, you don't have to follow me. I'm fine," she said. She was at her door now, trying to find the handle. It was dark in the hall, so she couldn't see where the handle was. She groped around until she found it, opening the door and walking in. Athrun followed silently, unsure of what to say; he was also afraid he would spark a fight between them.

"Really, there's no need to guard me, Athrun. I can take care of myself." She said with tones of exhaustion and sadness in her voice. She had turned to face him as he switched the light on, tears still in her eyes. _Why do I always feel like I'm crying?_ She thought glumly.

"Cagalli, you aren't okay, I can see that. And I refuse to leave you alone. If Mana was hurt, and she was at your home, as always, and Kisaka wants us all to leave this place, then there must have been an attempt on your life. I refuse to leave you in such a vulnerable state, so please, don't argue this time." His voice was low and soft, pleading with her. His emerald green eyes showed concern. She nodded and watched as he sat down on a chair in the left corner of the room, near the bathroom. Cagalli sighed and walked over to him, emerald meeting amber.

"Fine, I'll go change quick. But I want to leave as soon as I'm done," she said half heartedly. She grabbed the first clothes she saw in her dresser drawer, jeans and a yellow tank top, and trudge into the bathroom. Silently she dressed, brushed her teeth and hair quickly, and waltzed back out within ten minutes. She trudged over to her bed, pulling out some shoes and then sitting down to thrown on her sneakers. Not surprising to her, Athrun was changed already, dressed in jeans, a plain green t-shirt, and black casual boots. She hadn't even heard him leave, let alone come back. Cagalli had to giggle a little at this. It reminded her of how things were about four years ago, when he was her body guard. Always ready before her.

"What are you laughing at?" Athrun glanced down at himself when he noticed her staring. She shook her head and got up.

"Nothing, just some old memories. You haven't changed either, it would seem." Her voice was teasing and light, but quiet. She opened the bedroom door and walked out to find Kira, Lacus, and Shinn ready to go.

"What do you mean?" Athrun asked. She shook her head again and smiled sadly.

"You used to get ready that fast when you were my body guard. I guess some habits are like second nature, huh?" Athrun smiled a little and blushed.

"Guess so," he replied quietly. He too was thinking of all the times he would be the one waiting on her to get ready.

"Cagalli, you set to go?" Kira asked. He was in Jeans and a White t-shirt. Lacus came up behind him, concerned laced on her face. She was wearing a simple pink dress and sandals, hair pulled into a ponytail. Cagalli smiled at her, and she smiled back warmly.

"Kira, I think you need to stay with Lacus tonight. She needs you too," Cagalli said. Kira went to protest, but she stuck a hand in his face and shook her head.

"I'll go, Kira," Athrun spoke up, stepping next to Cagalli. Luna and Meyrin joined the group now. All of them couldn't help a small smile twitching at their lips. Cagalli didn't miss this, but she decided against starting things. She had something important to take care of.

"See, I have protection now, so no need to worry, _little brother_," she teased. Kira lifted a brow and crossed his arms to pout. Cagalli, Lacus, and Athrun giggled a little, making him blush.

"Fine, but you better call me soon and let me know what's up. If I don't hear from you in an hour, we're coming to find you."

"Fine Kira, one hour," she agreed, rolling her eyes. They all said their goodbyes and headed for the door. Athrun and Cagalli took his black car while the others took their own. It was a good ten minutes of awkward silence before Cagalli spoke up.

"Thanks, Athrun, for agreeing to come with me. I appreciate it, and I know Kira and Lacus do too," she was looking out her window, watching the street lamps roll by.

"Sure Cagalli, any time." Silence drifted between them again for another ten minutes. Cagalli couldn't take it, her mind racing about tonight's events, so she spoke up. Apparently, Athrun couldn't either, because he spoke at the same time.

"I'm sorry about earlier," they said in unison. They both looked at each other momentarily, and started to laugh. Cagalli looked out the window again, quieting down after a few minutes of giggles. They were almost there, the rest of the drive spent in silence again, though not as awkward as before.


	4. Chapter 4

_**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gundam Seed/Destiny :(**_ _**I do, however, own any other characters or plot lines not in the original story and plot lines.**_

_**AN: I realize this chapter kind of picks up at the end, but I don't want to spend too much more time on these things. I want to get to the juicier, suspense filled, funnier parts, and believe me, there's a lot! If you feel like I should have slowed it down, let me know, and I'll re-read this and tweak it a little to make it better. That said, I hope you enjoy this next part!  
**_

CHAPTER THREE

Athrun pulled into the lot of the hospital and parked in the first spot he saw. He and Cagalli made their way inside, to the receptionist's desk. No one was there, so Cagalli rang the little bell they had sitting on it. A minute later an older woman with short dark hair and glasses walked out of a door behind the desk. She smiled as she greeted them.

"How may I help you miss?"

"I'm looking for a friend who was brought in here, my maid actually. Her name is-"

"Ms. Athha, thank God you're alright," a deep male voice said. Cagalli whirled around to see a very tall, dark haired, dark skinned man standing in front of her. She smiled and ran to embrace him. Athrun and the secretary stared in awe; Athrun because she was being so informal in public, and the secretary because she didn't realize it was the Chief Representative in front of her.

"Kisaka, I'm so glad _you're _alright? How's Mana? Have any others been injured? What do you know about the situation?" She stared up at him eagerly. He smiled and patted her on the head, much the same way her father used to.

"Mana is just fine. She's sleeping right now, and there were only two others who were injured, Thomas Sanders and Andrew Waltfeld. And their injuries are not serious at all. It seems whoever the person was who broke in was working alone, and they weren't very good at what they were…trying…to do either. It seems they hadn't even noticed you weren't home this evening. They bombed your room and nothing else, so there's minor damage to the Athha estate." They were walking down the hall now, Kisaka to the left of Cagalli, Athrun to the right.

They entered a room near the end of the hall, and there was Mana, sleeping peacefully.

"The two bodyguards were attempting to get Mana away from the room before the bomb went off, after they'd followed the intruder to your room. They were about to surprise him when they noticed what he was doing. Then, Mana showed up, cleaning in the middle of the night, and was headed straight for your door. She scared off the intruder before Sanders and Waltfeld could catch him. They got her away in time, but, not without some damage." He was quiet with those last words. Cagalli nodded as she looked at her maid and friend, sadness taking over.

"I see. Well, be sure that Mr. Sanders and Mr. Waltfeld receive my apologies and thanks. And please see to it they receive a few days off for their efforts." She walked to the side of the bed and held Mana's hand for a moment. The older lady had some cuts and bruises on her face, arms, and Cagalli could only assume everywhere else too.

"Um, Cagalli, there's something else," Kisaka said. Cagalli turned to him and frowned, not liking his words. Athrun was seated in a chair just inside the room, arms folded over his chest, watching everything around him as he listened.

"What is it Kisaka? I don't like your tone," she said, walking up to him. He took out a piece of crumbled, singed paper and handed it to her. The crease in her brow deepened as she read it. Then, shock once again covered her delicate features as she handed it back, hand shaking. Athrun noticed the immediate change and walked over to them, taking the paper to read. Cagalli started shaking her head, pacing back and forth. She was twirling a long blonde lock in her fingers nervously, thinking about what to do.

"H-how can this be Kisaka? Very few people know about this, and everyone who does, I couldn't see any one of them giving this away!" He shook with fury. _How in the hell did this happen?_ he thought. Cagalli was still pacing, Kisaka watching ruefully.

"I don't know, Athrun. What I do know is that it was only a matter of time before someone found out. And apparently, whoever it is, doesn't like what they found, and has decided to target the Representative and anyone associated with this little secret. That means that everyone involved in some way is in danger. The question is, who is it? Why are they doing this? And what will we do about it?"

"We'll go away for a while." Cagalli's voice was determined as she looked at the two of them.

"W-what do you mean, Cagalli? You can't just abandon your position. You have a duty to uphold here, remember?" Kisaka was appalled at her suggestion. Athrun, however, was liking where this was going.

"She's right, Kisaka. We can all go, on a vacation. We'll use it as a cover up. Cagalli can-"

"You and the cabinet can announce that I will be taking a temporary leave of absence. That I have become ill and need medical attention and some time away. It's still a couple of months before the big meeting, so if there's anything dire for me to take care of, you could just contact me and I'd do it from wherever we are. The rest of them will take an extended leave of absence from their jobs. We can leave from here in my private jet. It'll pick us up at the orphanage. That way, we don't have to bother with a public exit. It'll be perfect."

Kisaka eyed them warily, but he couldn't see any holes in the plan, so he regretfully agreed.

"One little problem, Cagalli. Who is going to run things while you are gone?" Cagalli's smile faded as she paced the floor again, tapping her chin.

"I-I guess I don't really know. I've never given it much thought before. I always figured I'd be leading things, till I died."

"What about you, Kisaka? You are a great leader, and you know everything about Orb and the government. You could do it," Athrun suggested. The tall, tanned man shook his head in disagreement. Athrun frowned.

"No, that wouldn't work. It has to be a cabinet member…That's it! Let them decide how they want things to go while I'm away! That way, no one can blame me if things go wrong, and they have a say so, like they always do!" Her amber orbs glowed with triumph.

"Wonderful idea, dear. I guess you aren't leading this nation just because you're a good poster child for it," Mana's hoarse voice rang out. Cagalli rushed to her side and grabbed her hand. Mana laughed and coughed a bit in the process. Cagalli looked thoroughly concerned.

"How are you feeling? Better I hope?"

"Well dear, aside from some stinging and tenderness, I'd say I'll be just fine. Now, we best be going if we want to have you packed and ready for your leave. I'm assume you want to go right away." The older woman tried to sit up, but failed, getting dizzy enough to lay back down. Cagalli smiled and shook her head.

"You're just as stubborn as my father," Cagalli said. Mana smiled and laughed.

"You mean just as stubborn as _you_," she teased the young blonde.

"Which I received from him," Cagalli corrected. They smiled at each other and laughed. Then it got quiet, and Cagalli started to cry a little again.

"There there dear. Don't you worry your pretty little head about me anymore. I lived, didn't I?" Mana smoothed out Cagalli's long hair with her hand. Cagalli leaned into her palm and closed her eyes. A simple nod was all she could manage for now.

"Cagalli, I hate to rush the happy reunion, but it's been over an hour now, and KIra will be hunting us down if we don't at least call him." Athrun regretfully stepped forward, waiting patiently for Cagalli to let her maid go. The blonde just smiled and nodded, then bent down and kissed Mana's cheek.

"Don't you go getting hurt again while I'm gone, okay? And stop cleaning at odd hours! Don't you get any sleep anymore?" The princess scolded her playfully, but it was Mana who was serious.

"You're one to talk, Miss Cagalli. I'm not the only one who has odd habits," the older lady gave her a scolding look.

"Shhh, Mana, you promised you wouldn't!" Cagalli whispered angrily. Mana only smiled and shrugged, then laid her head back and closed her eyes.

"Wouldn't what, Miss Cagalli?" Kisaka asked. She stuck her tongue out at an oblivious Mana and turned to find Athrun staring at her amused, and Kisaka staring at her like he was catching her doing something wrong. Which, of course, he was.

"N-nothing. Athrun, we should go now." She grabbed the blue haired coordinator's hand and rushed to the door. She stopped when she heard a loud throat clearing and a foot tapping the floor. Much to her dismay, she turned, wincing at the look she was getting from Kisaka. Athrun subdued a laugh.

"Cagalli Yula Athha, what is Mana talking about?" He gave her a very fatherly you-better-tell-me-now look that made her bow her head. She tried to put on her best smile and look him in the eye.

"W-well, you see, when I don't sleep at night," she began. Kisaka gestured for her to continue, so she did. "I sometimes sneak out of the mansion. I'll go walk along the shore for a while, then come back before anyone notices. Mana helps me do it though!" She pointed an accusing finger at her maid, who was paying attention now, and laughing hysterically.

"You what? Cagalli, do you have any idea at all how dangerous that is? It's a wonder your attacker didn't know that, or you might be dead right now!" Kisaka, who never really raised his voice with Cagalli, was in a rage. Cagalli's own anger was burning now.

"Yea, well, so what? Maybe if I had a little more freedom I wouldn't feel like I needed to sneak off in the first place!" She was yelling now. Her words made Kisaka stop though. He felt sorry for her.

"I understand Cagalli, but you need to understand that this is just how your life has to be. You can't be-"

"Normal, right? Well, maybe I don't want this damn job anymore!" She turned to Athrun, who was, moments before, ready to laugh, and now he was just plain shocked and scared. Cagalli grabbed his hand and stormed out before Kisaka could say anything else, Athrun in tow. When they got outside, Athrun made her stop. They were a few feet from the car.

"Cagalli, stop. You need to calm down." He turned her to face him, but she was looking at the ground.

"C-can we just…just go please?" she sobbed quietly. Athrun frowned and put a hand under her chin, making her look up. She was crying, yet again, and it made his heart ache.

"We can, but I want you to do something first," he stepped closer to her, holding her gaze while he wiped away a tear. She sighed and nodded, brushing her hair behind her ear.

"What is it?"

"I want you to close your eyes," he waited for her to close them. "Now, take in a breath, and let it out. There, like that. Slowly now, I want you to keep that up and feel your body relax. Good," he stopped talking and watched as she breathed deeply and let it out. After about the tenth one, she opened her eyes, tears gone.

"Thanks Athrun. I feel calm now," she said. She smiled at him and turned to go, but he had puts his hands on her shoulders and wasn't letting her.

"One more thing," he said. She gave him a questioning look. He only smiled and blushed in reply, then brought his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. She let herself sink into him, burying her face in his chest. He'd gotten much taller, of that she was sure. And he smelled good too. She returned the hug, and suddenly felt the need to stay like this forever.

"I want you to know that I'll always be here for you. If you need to talk, or yell, or beat someone up-"

"You're my guy, got it," she finished. Those last words were not meant to come out how they sounded. She put a little more feeling in that than she wanted. Blushing, she pulled away and headed for the passenger door. Athrun, taken off guard by her words, hadn't moved an inch. She sighed and placed a hand on her waist.

"Hello? Earth to Athrun? Hey, space case, we gotta go before a certain overprotective little brother hunts us down, remember?" She tapped her foot impatiently. Athrun shook his head to clear the daydream look he had, pulled out his keys, and unlocked the doors. They got in quietly, Cagalli pulling out her phone.

"You gonna call, or should I?" she asked. Athrun shrugged, so Cagalli dialed. After a short and sweet conversation with Kira, it was silence again, all the way to the capitol building. When they arrived, the gang was waiting on the steps, not a soul in sight.

"Bout time you two showed. Yamato here was going bonkers with worry," the chocolate haired coordinator, Shinn, was nodding in Kira's direction.

"Figures he'd be like that. Well, we've got some good and bad news," Cagalli said as she sat next to her brother on a step.

"What is it? Mana's not-"

"No Lacus, Mana is fine. I imagine she'll be let go in the morning. However, we are not fine." The grim look on Cagalli's face told them all things were definitely bad.

"It seems someone is after Cagalli. They bombed her home last night, but thankfully, it was a small explosion. It seems they knew exactly where she slept. They destroyed her room and a small part of the building, but nothing much more than that. No one was critically injured," Athrun explained.

"However, there was a note left by the attacker," Cagalli continued. She took in a breath and looked at the ground.

"That bad?" Kira asked. Cagalli nodded.

"It seems that whoever was targeting me knows who I am. I mean, who I _really_ am. And whoever it is, doesn't like the news. He said that he wouldn't rest until I was dead, or stepped down from my position and left Orb. He also said he knew who was involved and that he would do the same to them if they were to remain in their positions as well. No names were given, but you can imagine who he meant." She paused and looked at everyone knowingly.

"Hold on a sec. You mean to tell me this person knows that we know your secret and he's targeting us as well?" Shinn's voice was full of rage. He started pacing angrily. Luna, the short pink haired girl stood and grabbed his hand in comfort.

"That's exactly what we are saying," Athrun said. Meyrin whimpered and Lacus grabbed tightly onto Kira's arm.

"What'll we do Kira?" Lacus asked anxiously. Kira simply shrugged and started to pace himself.

"That's all taken care of. You guys are going to take an extended leave of vacation from your jobs, and I will be faking sick, so sick that I have to be transported out of country temporarily. That will give us some cover stories so no one will raise questions."

"That's nuts Cagalli! We can't just up and leave! Not with all that's been happening lately!" Luna chimed in. Cagalli nodded but continued.

"I understand that, but we were going to go on vacation anyway, and there really isn't any conflict going on to the point where they need you all there. I'm sure you'll get it."

"But Cagalli, what about you and I? We have to have replacements if this is to work, and I don't know about you, but I don't have a double that can act in my stead anymore. Not to mention I really don't like that idea anyway."

"I know Lacus, but trust me on this one. The Orb council members are going to decide who will run things temporarily, and you should have the PLANT Supreme Council do the same." Her eyes were pleading with Lacus. Lacus seemed deep in thought for a few minutes, but then she agreed.

"It's settled then. Tomorrow all arrangements are to be made, and come Sunday, we will be on our way to a remote location." Everyone was silent, in their own thoughts. Cagalli got up to leave.

"Uh, a couple more things Cagalli," Kira said. He walked up to her and smiled.

"Yea Kira?"

"Where are we leaving from and what kind of clothes should we pack?" The childish excitement in his eyes made her want to laugh, despite how nervous she was.

"You want tropical clothes, and we'll be leaving from the orphanage. Kisaka is sending my jet there for us."

"Cool," he said before motioning for everyone to get up.

"We should get out of here. I don't think it's as safe to be here as Kisaka thought. I'd rather head back and try to get some rest." Athrun led the group down the steps of the capitol building and to the cars. The guards that had escorted them into the gates earlier followed on their motorcycles, lights off of course, for extra precaution.

When everyone was back at the orphanage and the guards were gone, the group gathered inside and caught Reverend Malchio and Mrs. Yamato up on everything. Then, they set up teams of two to guard the place, just in case. Everyone else went to bed while Shinn and Luna took first watch.


	5. Chapter 5

_**AN: I'd do the disclaimer, but I'm kinda tired of it! On another note, I know I said I was getting to the funnier stuff, and I am, so please be patient! I guess I'm having a little too much fun delving into Cagalli's depressed side, since we don't see much of it in the show. I want to show that she's a bad ass, but also wishy washy and has a lot to deal with still. That said, thanks to the reviewers (D.L.S., ****Usako Hoshino****, and An Instant King) and everyone who added me to their favorites! I may have another chapter or two up before the day is done, so keep an eye out! Also, I'm going out of town for a few days and won't be updating till the end of next week :( But, I will be writing while away, so it should be a fast update then!!! So please bear with me on this! And now, on with the goodness... **_

CHAPTER FOUR

The plane ride to a small isolated island about four hours from Orb was one full of energy. Everyone was buzzing with the high of being away from duties and responsibility, despite the reasons why they were going in the first place.

"So, Mir, Dearka, and Yzak are all joining us from the PLANTs? But how come?" Shinn's red eyes looked puzzled, for once in his life. His companion, the ever outspoken, short haired Lunamaria, laughed at the unaccustomed look he was giving and shrugged.

"I guess Athrun and the others were afraid they were targets too." She fiddled with the small plastic cup in front of her. It was empty, so she had set it down and let a small part hang off the table in front of her. With her finger, she was hitting the end of it, trying to get it to flip over in one go. Shinn, who hadn't been paying attention to her actions, graced her with a look of amusement when he realized what she was doing.

"You're never going to get it, Luna, so just give it up! I'll whoop you in any flippy cup challenge, and you know it!" He crossed his arms over his chest and smiled that unmistakably cocky smile of his. She just huffed and kept up the practice, ignoring his snide tone as she often did.

"We'll see, Asuka. It's been a couple of months since we've played, and I'm betting that I've got some surprises for you this time around! You'll see," she used her finger to flip the cup over and smiled as it landed perfectly upside-down. Then, she flipped it upright and tried again, and once again, it landed bottoms up on the first try. She looked up, a huge smile plastered on her face, and laughed when Shinn's mouth dropped open and his eyes went wide.

"You've been practicing, haven't you?" he whispered in astonishment. Luna laughed even louder this time, nodding excitedly.

"Yep. Can't be shown up by my boyfriend _all_ the time now, can I?"

"Uh…" was all Shinn could say in response while blushing.

"Don't mean to interrupt you two, but what's flippy cup?" Cagalli was up on her sear and leaning over the back of it so she could see the two coordinators perfectly. They each raised a brow and gawked at her. She blushed and shrugged.

"Cagalli, how could you not know what flippy cup is? I mean, you are old enough to drink, and have been for a little while now," Luna said.

"Besides, aren't you the rebel in the family? Out of anyone I would have thought you had some practice with drinking games," Shinn added in a smart ass tone. Cagalli narrowed her eyes at the implication.

"Shut it Asuka! I may be hot-headed and tend to do things my way when I can, but that doesn't mean I'm a 'rebel,' and it certainly does _not_ mean that I engaged in underage drinking or drinking at all for that matter!" Cagalli's amber orbs sparked with anger. She huffed and turned around, settling back in her seat and closing her eyes. She heard a loud _smack!_ and assumed Luna had hit Shinn. Cagalli smiled to herself, the anger slowly mellowing out.

"Nice one, Shinn. Why don't you just accuse her of being an alcoholic while you're at it!" she heard Luna's harsh whisper. Cagalli, now fully amused, started giggling.

"What's so funny?" a certain deepened voice said. She turned to the person next to her, who'd been asleep since they took off. Now, his green eyes danced with amusement as he looked at Cagalli's face.

"I thought you were asleep Athrun. I hope I didn't wake you," she replied. He just yawned a bit and smiled that irresistible smile of his. Her heart fluttered a bit, sending a wave of happiness through her.

"We're almost there, right? I should get up and start prepping then." He stood upright and went to walk past her to the isle, but she grabbed his arm, a questioning look on her face.

"What do you mean?"

"Kira and I thought it'd be best for us to get out first, make sure everything was secure before we walked into the house. If that's alright with you?" he asked. She nodded and sighed, shaking her head. This caused him to stop and stare down at her.

"What is it?"

"I guess I just forgot for a while why we were doing this. Silly of me to do that, huh?" she laughed a tad sourly at the thought.

"No, it's not. We all need the escape, so it's no surprise everyone's pushing unpleasant things deep down. Don't worry about it, Cagalli. It'll all be fine, you'll see." Athrun strolled towards the front where Kira and Lacus were at. She saw the two start talking, serious expressions on their faces. She assumed they were doing the "shop talk" thing, so she settled back and closed her eyes. _I'll get a cat nap in before we arrive,_ she thought.

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"Cagalli? Wake up," the blond felt someone gently shaking her. She whined a little and slowly opened her eyes, unhappy about the interruption to her pleasant dream.

"A-are we there already?" She yawned and stretched, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Yes, silly, we are! And guess what? It's very pleasant outside! It's sunny and very warm! Everything a tropical island should be!" Lacus smiled brightly and nodded in excitement. She was in the idle, bent down next to Cagalli. Cagalli smiled at her friend and stood.

"Well, I guess we should go, huh?" Cagalli moved in front of the petite girl and headed for the open door of the plane. She stepped out on to the small platform and looked out, taking in the scenery around her.

There was lush greenery everywhere. Huge banana and coconut trees were spread as far as she could see the left of her. To the right were more trees and shrubbery, but they held beautiful colors of all shaped and sized flowers and exotic plants, unlike the coconut and banana trees. And in front of her was a large mansion, three stories high, stark white with island blue trim to contrast. It looked like something from a dream, but to Cagalli, it wasn't the size that mattered. It was the memories the place held for her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it Cagalli?" Lacus stepped past her and started down the stairs. The blonde girl smiled and nodded, quietly following behind. Everyone else was already down there, waiting for them in golf carts.

"About time, princess! We're dying to see the inside!" Shinn exclaimed. Cagalli giggled and shook her head at the impatient coordinator. He could be a pain to her, but she couldn't help but smile at his attitude. He reminded her of herself, a lot more than she'd ever admit. When she reached the bottom, she closed her eyes, took in a deep breath of air and let it out.

"Cagalli, you'd better hurry it up! Everyone's leaving us!" Athrun yelled to her. She opened her eyes to see two white carts pulling away, racing from the looks of it. She smiled mischievously and ran for the cart, hopping in as quickly as possible. When she was settled, Athrun took off to catch up.

"We'll never catch them!" she yelled excitedly. He laughed at her and gave his own devilish smile.

"Watch this," he said. Now, golf carts couldn't go real fast, not like a go cart or anything, but they were fast enough. Cagalli held on for dear life as Athrun sped up to the max. They were gaining on the other two, but not fast enough.

"Go this way!" she pointed to the right, to a small path just ahead. He nodded and obeyed, turning down the path, into the shrubbery. It veered left after about fifteen feet, and then right. They were coming to a fork.

"Go right and follow that out!" she said again. He merely obeyed, concentrating on not going off the path. They made it to the front steps to the mansion in about ten minutes, give or take, with the other two carts still battling it out not far behind on the main drive. Cagalli and Athrun hopped out, leaning on the front of the golf cart, arms crossed, waiting patiently. When the other two pulled up, they parked and everyone ran up to them, confused.

"Where'd you go? We all saw you guys behind us, and then bam! You were gone!" It was Shinn, of course, asking this question. Cagalli smiled devilishly, while Athrun shrugged and fixed the hem of his blue t-shirt.

"Yea, really. What happened?" Kira asked, also inquisitive of the situation. Cagalli looked him in the eyes, a hint of melancholy there, but she grinned anyway. Then she stood up, waltzed casually up the steps to the front porch and turned. She stretched out her arms and looked at everyone below, who watched with interest.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to one of the finest," she paused and looked at Shinn, "and most fun vacation spots in Orb, better known as Nameka Manor. This place has existed for a long time, and it has been used throughout my family line as a place of escape and rest." She turned and stood at the doors, pausing long enough to calm her nerves. Then, without another word, she opened the large white doors and walked in, the memories flooding her mind as she entered quietly. She stopped when she was a few feet inside and smiled, turning slowly to re-examine the place of her long ago childhood.

"Whoa, Cagalli, nice digs!" her brother exclaimed as he entered. The others followed behind, awe struck faces meeting her eyes as they waltzed around the huge lobby area. Off the right was a beautiful stone fireplace, a large island blue velvet couch and a matching chair in front of it. To the far left corner there was a matching island blue velvet chair placed in front of a large window which overlooked the drive. Then, to the left of that was a huge television hanging on the wall, with another velvet couch and chair, much like the ones near the fireplace. The floors were wooden, with a dark color and glistening polish. A carpeted walkway of swirls of brighter blue hues mixed with golden threads led from the door to a small desk, and then to some stairs and an elevator. The rest of it led straight back, to some other areas they couldn't see from where they were. Gold trim adorned the windows, ceiling, and floors. White walls stick out with pictures of various sceneries hanging all over. There were end tables made of dark wood next to the couches and chairs, a couple having vases of exotic plants in them.

"Hey, is this you, princess?" Meyrin, the red head who was usually quiet, said as she brought over a picture she found. Cagalli took it from her and felt the tears threaten to surface as she glanced at it. It was a picture of her when she was about seven, long blonde hair spilling down to her waist, eyes dancing as her adoptive father and mother held her between them, smiling and laughing with her. She instantly remembered the event, though it was a long time ago now. Smiling sadly she nodded and took the picture.

"Yea, it is." She walked to the fireplace and put the picture up on the mantel, smiling still, despite the hurt feelings she had.

"Wow, you had some beautifully long hair then," Lacus commented as she and Kira walked up to take a peak, hand in hand. Cagalli huffed a bit.

"My mom had insisted I keep it longer, saying princesses didn't have short hair, even though, at the tender age of eight, I argued that Snow White had short hair and she was a princess. She didn't let me cut it until I was thirteen, always telling me ladies didn't have boyish haircuts." She laughed at the memory. "I still fought with her every year though, on my birthday, always arguing that I was a year older now and plenty old enough to make those decisions on my own."

"I guess you were a handful then too, huh?" Kira remarked. Cagalli laughed instead of getting mad for once.

"Sure was. I was thoroughly convinced from a young age that there wasn't anything that I could be made to do if I didn't want to, and I always tried to get my way, if I felt it was worth the fight." She laughed even harder when another memory popped into her head. "I even tried to convince my dad that I could be a good soldier, given the opportunity. Needless to say, he didn't seem to think so." Her smile fell a bit at her next words.

"He constantly told me I didn't understand the real world, that what I experienced and saw was not how it was for majority of the world. That what I grew up in was a privileged community, one where things were just different." She sat down on the velvet couch, all eyes still on her.

"I didn't understand any of it then, not like I do now. I thought that I was tougher, better than everyone I knew, that I understood the seriousness of it all, that I could do and handle anything. But now…" she slid down and closed her eyes, trying to fight back the tears. She felt someone sit beside her and looked over to see Kira there, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"We all understand Cagalli. None of us ever imagined our lives to be what they were, what they are now." His voice was sympathetic and kind.

"Don't worry about that right now though, okay? We're here, despite the circumstances, to relax and enjoy ourselves. Don't dwell on sad memories. Be happy, that's all we want for you." Lacus stood on her right, bending and hugging her around the neck. Cagalli smiled and hugged her back, burying her head in Lacus's shoulder to hide the tears.

As they sat there, Cagalli heard the quiet retreat of footsteps, thankful everyone left. When she was sure they were gone, she sat up and straightened herself out, wiping the tears away. Lacus smiled at her and motioned for her to get up.

"Let's go join the others, okay? I think you could use some refreshments." Cagalli nodded and they headed for the kitchen.

"Miss Athha? May I speak to you please?" Cagalli whirled around, startled anyone else was there. The pilot of the plane was standing there with two others, waiting patiently.

"What's up?" she said, approaching them. He smiled kindly and nodded toward the bags they brought in.

"I just wanted to let you know we brought your things in. I also wished to inform you that your other guests will be arriving later this evening. Unfortunately their shuttle from the PLANTs was delayed by a half hour, but we will try to be on time with them anyway."

"Thanks for the news. Just send me a message if anything else happens via telephone satellite, will you?" The pilot nodded in return and then bowed. Cagalli smiled and nodded, then watched the three of them leave in silence. She turned to head back to the kitchen, where everyone was waiting.


	6. Chapter 6

_**AN #1: I've changed the rating to M because I will have some crazy drunkeness and other things going on that may not be suitable for teenagers. You are being forwarned that starting with this chapter, stuff is going to start happening on a mature level! So you can't complain cuz I've told you already!  
**_

_**AN #2: I apologize that this took so long, but I've been a bit busy lately! However, I am trying to get this moving again, so please stay with me people! *begging on knees* I promise that I will keep writing! That said, I would like to say thanks to Devil Rebel, Usako Hoshino, Hegodart, and D.L.S. for your constant reviewing! I really appreciate it! *big smile and hug for everyone* And as always, thanks to everyone else for tagging me as a favorite and keeping up! And FYI, you'll all have to keep guessing at who's after Cagalli and everyone else! ENJOY!!! **_

CHAPTER FIVE

_Ring, ring, ring…_Cagalli rolled over in her queen size bed and stretched out an arm toward the nightstand on her left, attempting to shut off what she thought was her alarm. When her hand found an empty table, she rolled over and pulled the covers back over her head, groaning loudly.

_Ring, Ring…_She heard the annoying noise again, this time louder, like it was right next to her head. The princess sighed and sat up, lazily searching for the source of the noise. She found her small phone and flipped it open, mumbling a "Hello" into it as she rubbed her eye.

_"Princess, how nice of you to finally answer!"_ Nori's voice rang through loud and clear. Cagalli threw her covers off of her and stretched, then, holding the phone between her shoulder and ear, got up and started making the bed.

"What do you want Nori? It better be good cuz I was sleeping and having a nice dream," she growled to him. She heard his typical laugh on the other end and sighed, wondering how it is that he could never take a hint.

_"Awww, did someone wake up on the wrong side this afternoon?"_ He taunted. Cagalli opened her mouth to say something just as sarcastic, and ran to her balcony doors and threw open the hunter green satin drapes.

"Oh my God! I slept all night _and_ all morning!" she screeched. Nori laughed again at her, but more friendly this time as opposed to the more sarcastic ones he usually gave her. Cagalli whirled around and started running through her bedroom, grabbing clothes and a towel to get ready for the day.

_"I'm not surprised you slept so long considering this is your first real day off in aobut three years, Cagalli."_

"Yeah, I guess your-Hold it! How do you know that!" she stopped in her tracks. Something wasn't sitting right about this conversation. She waited for an answer, but when none was given, she asked again. After a few more seconds of pausing, he finally answered.

_"Don't freak out, Cagalli, but I, um"_ Nori started, but then he stopped. Cagalli, not liking this little game, decided to try sounding mean again.

"Look, Nori, I haven't got all day for this, so either you're going to tell me how you know that or-"

_"Or what? You'll fly all the way back to Orb from your beach house just to show me how angry you are?"_ The sarcasm was back, making Cagalli roll her eyes. Then she froze stone cold as she realized what he just said. Speechless, she managed a brilliant "Huh?" making Nori laugh again.

_"Don't worry Cagalli, your secret is safe with me. I'm only sorry you didn't think to invite me along on your little adventure. I was under the impression that we were friends, but now…"_ he trailed off. Cagalli recovered from her shock and started yelling.

"Nori Seiran, I do not know how you figured it out, but if you tell anyone and I find out about it, you will be a dead man!"

She hung up the phone, too angry to wait for a response, and threw at her bedroom door just as someone opened it. The phone flew toward Kira, who ducked just in time. It smashed into the door across the hall and fell to the floor with a thud. Kira turned to his sister, eyes wide as saucers, frozen in place at the look on her face. Cagalli, immediately feeling like an idiot, turned beet red as she noticed eight other sets of eyes peering in from the hall.

"C-Cagalli, what's up? We heard yelling and thought something was wrong. Are you alright?"

"Oh Kira, I'm so sorry! I-I was just," she couldn't think of what to say. Sheepishly she looked down at her feet, and that's when she noticed she was still in her tiny white tank top and short night shorts. She squealed and ran behind her bed, falling to her knees, face red as a tomato now.

"Um, I think we should leave Cagalli alone and let her get dressed." Lacus stepped in and pulled a blushing Kira from the room. She also pushed all the boys past her doorway and toward the stairs. Cagalli remained behind her bed until she heard Lacus telling the boys they'd be out in a little bit. She also shooed Luna and Meyrin away with the same thing. Then Lacus came in, Miriallia in tow. The short haired, sassy photographer shut the door behind her.

"That was so embarrassing!" Cagalli said as she came out from behind her bed. She sat down on it and crossed her legs, still unable to fully look at her friends.

"It wasn't that bad, Cagalli. I don't think the boys saw much, other than Kira that is," Mir giggled when she remembered the look on his face. "That was so funny too! He was like a deer in headlights! Ghost white and scared!" She laughed even harder as she took a seat in a chair next to the bed. Lacus giggled too, and before long, the three of them were laughing so hard tears were rolling out of their eyes.

"I don't think Kira expected to see his sister like that!" Lacus said between giggles. Cagalli nodded and wiped an eye.

"I know! He forgets so often that I'm a girl, and that probably just reminded him a little too much!" she breathed in and out, trying to calm down. They all stopped and stared for a few minutes, then burst out laughing again. Cagalli got up and headed to the bathroom, but not before hugging Mir and Lacus.

"We'll be out by the pool, so come down when you're done, kay?" Lacus said. Cagalli agreed and went to the bathroom to clean up.

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Within an hour Cagalli was walking toward the outdoor pool in the back, a smile on her face as she watched her friends for a few minutes before they noticed her. Lacus, Miriallia, and Meyrin were lying on beach chairs near the pool, sunbathing and talking. Yzak, Dearka, Luna, and Shinn were seated at a round table with an umbrella, cups in front of them, smiling and talking idly. Kira and Athrun were seated at the outside bar, also drinking something from a cup, talking away like everyone else. _It's so nice to see everyone having a great time together! I wish we could do this more often_, she thought to herself. Her eyes lingered on the blue-haired guy with her brother for a few minutes, but the sound of someone calling her made her look away.

"Hey Cagalli, come here!" Lacus called to her from her chair. Cagalli smiled and set out for a spot near them. As she walked, she glanced back toward Athrun, and when their eyes met, she quickly looked away.

"Well, well, well, the little princess finally graces us with her presence," the silver haired guy said. She stopped in front of him and playfully glared.

"And if it isn't the prince of short fumes himself." She curtsied in her little green and blued polka dotted sundress. Then she looked up and smirked as he opened his arms to her. Cagalli's smirk widened as she jumped into his arms and hugged him.

"It's nice to see you smiling, Cagalli," he said. She stepped back, still smiling.

"You too, Yzak. That's a rare look for you, but a good one," she replied. He shrugged and sat down. A wavy haired blonde stood and hugged her too.

"Dearka, how are you? Still dating Michelle?" she asked. He shrugged and sat down nonchalantly.

"Nope, she was a handful. Too needy for me," he said, winking. Cagalli laughed and shook her head at her friend, placing a hand on his bare shoulder.

"Dearka, for you, any girl who just wants to talk on the phone is needy! You don't even have to do anything but push buttons, and you'd call that 'too needy!' What are we gonna do with you?" He placed a hand on his chest in mock pain and frowned.

"Ouch! You're wounding me, princess!" He hung his head. Luna laughed as Shinn rolled his eyes.

"Come on Elsman, you know she's right. You're gonna have to give a little if you ever wanna keep a woman around," Yzak chimed in. Dearka opened his amethyst eyes and glared.

"Like you'd know, Jule! You haven't had a girlfriend in like two years!" They were both glaring now. Cagalli sighed and shook her head. _Some things never change,_ she thought. She laughed with the others as the two battled it out via vocalized bashing. After a few minutes, she decided to continue toward the girls.

"What's with those two?" Meyrin asked as she pulled her long red hair into a ponytail. Cagalli shrugged and smiled.

"Boys being boys I guess," she said as she took the chair next to Mir. The brunette was watching Dearka and Yzak intently. Cagalli waved a hand in her face to get her attention.

"What's up?" Mir said, tearing her eyes away. Cagalli smiled knowingly at her friend.

"Just wondering who you're looking at," she replied casually. Miriellia's crystal blue eyes went wide and she blushed.

"N-no one Cagalli. Why'd you say that?" The natural turned her head and pulled down her black cat eye sunglasses, then grabbed her fruity frozen drink and started to sip.

"Oh, no reason," she mused.

"Cagalli, you've got to try this!" Lacus held a glass to her. Cagalli's brow lifted as she stared at the green frozen concoction. She took it and sipped a little, then made a disgusted face.

"That had tequila, doesn't it?" she asked as she coughed. Lacus nodded and giggled as she took a big drink.

"Yep! It's a margarita, so it has to have tequila silly," she smiled.

"Yea, well, I can't do tequila Lacus. We don't get along very well usually." Cagalli looked at Meyrin and then Miriallia. "Isn't it a bit early to drink?" she asked, an eyebrow cockled up at her friends. They all shrugged.

"We are on vacation, and even if it is for a not so nice reason, it's still a vacation. So, we all thought we'd have a Monday Funday," Miriallia said. She sipped her drink, halfway gone now, then smiled at the blonde girl in front of her. She stretched out the drink toward and nodded.

"What's Monday Funday?" Cagalli asked as she grabbed the drink. She also grabbed a fan that was sitting next to her and started using it as she took a drink. It was really hot outside to her, and she could feel the sweat breaking out on her body.

"It's called a rum runner. And in answer to your question, Monday Funday is a day where you do nothing but drink all day, get drunk, and have fun." Cagalli nodded her ehad in understand before she took a drink and handed it back.

"Not bad. Definitely better than Lacus's choice."

"Try mine then, you'll love this." Meyring handed Cagalli her cup, filled with something white and frozen. Cagalli shrugged and sipped it.

"Wow, that's really sweet. Very yummy though," she said, handing back the cup. Meyrin smiled and took another drink.

"This one's a Pina Colada."

"Or you could always have a beer if you don't like the girly drinks," a voice said. Cagalli looked over to see Luna taking a chair next to her.

"Ew, how do you drink that stuff?" Meyrin said, nodding to the cup in her sister's hand.

"Hey, when you're dating a guy like Shinn, you don't get to have frilly, frufru stuff. But" she shrugged and sipped, "it's really not bad at all. I like it a lot!" Luna took another drink. Cagalli grimaced and shook her head.

"Only after I've had some liquor can I drink that!" She blushed as her friends stopped mid motion and stared, jaws dropped.

"I thought you said you didn't drink!" Luna exclaimed. Cagalli laughed, a twinkle in her amber eyes.

"No, I never actually said that. I just said that just because I act a certain way doesn't automatically mean I do certain things. But I never flat out denied drinking." Luna stared at her, replaying the conversation on the plane yesterday. She laughed as she realized what Cagalli said was true.

"You aren't a politician for nothing, I'll say that much Cagalli," she replied, laughing. Cagalli winked and smiled, as did her other friends. Then she stood and headed toward the bar.

"Be back in a few," she called over her shoulder. As she came up to the bar, she snuck behind Kira, who was facing Athrun talking. Athrun saw her and smiled as she put a finger to her lips to keep quiet. Then, as Kira kept chatting away, Cagalli smacked him in the head, causing him to jump and yell. She laughed with Athrun as he rubbed his head and blushed.

"What was that for?" he asked, stepping behind the bar. He pulled out a cup, some ice, a can of coke, and a bottle of Gentleman Jack. He started mixing the concoction for his sister as she took his stool.

"For barging in on me earlier! And then not even having the decency to shut the door or get out when I was still half clothed!" She chuckled as her brother blushed and avoided eye contact.

"You can't blame me, Cagalli. We were worried something bad had happened." Kira set the plastic cup in front of his sister and then leaned on the bar. "What did happen anyway?"

"Yea, you seemed really upset," Athrun chimed in. Cagalli looked down at her cup and shrugged.

"Nothing terrible I guess. It was Nori calling. He knows about our little vacation here," she said. Then she took a huge drink and nearly spit it back out. She wiped her mouth and grimaced. "How much did you put in here Kira? You trying to get me wasted?" She grabbed the coke can and poured some more in her drink, then swished it around with a straw and tried again.

"Oops, uh, sorry," he shrugged. "I'm not very good at this."

"No kidding?" she set the drink down and smiled despite her brother's lack of good drink-making skills.

"So, do we do anything about Mr. Seiran, Cagalli?" Her brother ignored her teasing comment and took a sip of his own drink. Cagalli shrugged and began pulling her long blonde hair into a high ponytail while Athrun and Kira waited for her answer.

"He's harmless. I'm sure we won't need to worry about him. In fact," just then her phone rang again. "Hold on a sec guys," she slid off the wooden stool and flipped open her phone. Kira and Athrun watched as she paced back and forth, talking low into the phone.

"I don't like this," Kira said, watching his sister's face move from shock to anger to frustration. Athrun, glued to her as well, only nodded.

A few minutes went by and Cagalli was storming back to her seat. She picked up her cup and gulped it down, then grabbed the bottle of Jack and poured some into it. She grabbed the coke can and dumped the rest of the contents into her cup.

"A little ice please, Kira," she nodded toward the cup. He just stayed silent and grabbed a couple of cubes, dropping them in. He and Athrun were stunned when she downed the drink again. Before she could pour another, Kira had his hand on hers, which was around the bottle.

"Whoa there, Cagalli! Slow it down or you'll be drunk in the next hour!" He took the bottle and put it under the bar, pushing it as far back as he could get it to go. Athrun took her cup and tossed it in a garbage, then grabbed her by the hand and pulled her to a table just off to the side, where Kira was also coming to sit.

"Getting drunk is the point! Besides, you aren't my father, Kira, or you, Athrun, so back off!" Cagalli tried to stand, but Kira placed his hands on her shoulders and forced her to sit back down. She glowered at him and crossed her arms across her chest, then slumped into her chair, imitating a child. Athrun laughed at her demeanor.

"Very adult, Cagalli," he said between giggles. She turned her head toward him, glared, then huffed and slumped even further.

"Enough of this, Cagalli! Tell us what's wrong?" Kira crouched so that he was eye level with her. She sighed and sat up, fixing her dress so that it covered her legs. Then she started swirling a piece of hair around her finger as she spoke.

"Well, you'll know in about an hour anyway."

"Know what?" Athrun raised a brow at the young woman in front of him, trying not to laugh again.

"Nori's on his way. He was when he called earlier too, only I didn't stick on the phone long enough to find out." Cagalli crossed her leg and started bouncing it up and down nervously.

"What?!" Kira exclaimed, looking dumbfounded. Cagalli sighed.

"Yep. The little snooper thought it would be alright to show up since, since," she didn't finish the sentence.

"Since you two grew up together and he seems to think he matters to you," Kira finished.

"That about sums it up, yea." Cagalli got up, and this time, when no one protested, she headed back towards the girls, thinking it best not to overdue things yet. Athrun and Kira, both looking miffed, got up and headed back toward the bar.

"I don't like this Nori person, Kira. Seems like he's up to no good," Athrun commented as they took their respective seats. Kira nodded but smirked at his friend and shook his head.

"I kind of agree with you, Athrun, except I don't like him because I can tell that his interest in Cagalli is more than just friendship. What's your excuse?" He sipped his drink, looking off toward the girls. He saw Lacus's worried expression, which was directed toward a moping Cagalli, and smirked at how caring she could be.

"How do you know he wants more?" Kira turned around to face his friend, his smile growing.

"Well, it's pretty obvious. I mean, you should see the way that guy looks at her." Kira took a huge swig of his drink, watching Athrun's expression out of the corner of his eyes. The brunette started laughing to himself when Athrun's face changed from concern to anger. _Just as I thought,_ he mused to himself.

"He doesn't outright check her out or anything, but I can just tell by how he looks at her, and how he treats her, it's definitely more than a friend thing, at least on his end." Kira starts smirking again when Athrun seemed to be relieved at that statement. His friend took a long drink of his beer and then set the cup down, frowning into it.

"So, uh, how does Cagalli, uh, that is, how is she toward him?" The blue haired coordinator frowned into his drink, almost wishing he hadn't asked. Kira slapped his best friend on the back and squeezed his shoulder.

"Look Athrun, I know how you feel about my sister, and I'm all for it," Kira's purple eyes conveyed sympathy for his friend.

"But?" Athrun said.

"But I don't want her to be hurt anymore. She's been through so much in her life, we all have really. And we all deserve to be happy, so do me, her, and yourself a favor, okay?" Athrun turned his gaze to his friend questioningly.

"And what favor would that be Kira?" he asked as nonchalantly as possible. He was blushing a little and Kira couldn't help the smile that spread over his face.

"Do something about this. Whether you decide to be with her or not, you've got to stop pussyfooting around the situation, man! Either go for it, or don't, but stop dragging this out." Kira finished off his beer and moved behind the little bar to refill it again. As he did he glanced toward the girls, who were all around Cagalli chatting away. Lacus looked up and blue met purple. Kira winked at her and smiled, then moved back around the bar.

"Look Kira, it was easy for you and Lacus. But Cagalli and I, well, things are just different. It isn't that easy," Athrun said. Kira sighed and started walking away. As he did, he glanced over his shoulder.

"Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you take it, Athrun. Remember that." And with that, Kira headed toward the girls, leaving a very saddened friend to stew alone for a little bit.


	7. Chapter 7

_**AN: Sorry this took so much longer to get up! I've been busy on some small trips and I've been sick, so I haven't been able to work as much as I wanted to on this. But, now that things are better and I'm not so busy, I plan on trying to get more done, so bear with me, okay? And thanks again to everyone who has continued to review my story and stay with me! I appreciate it tons!**_**_ Hopefully I'll ahve more in the next couple of days, so please keep an eye out! Luv ya all!_**

CHAPTER SIX

Lacus patted her friend on the back, consoling the Orb princess as she finished explaining things to the girls. Cagalli felt funny about doing this, but who better to complain to than females who could appreciate her situation, right? Miriallia stood, empty glass in hand, and turned to walk away right when Kira showed up.

"Where ya going, Mir?" He smiled at her as he took her chair. She frowned, hand on her hip.

"Well, I was going to ask you for another drink, but never mind I guess since you aren't over there anymore." Her shoulders slumped in disappointment. Kira smirked and took a sip of cold beer, then gestured to the bar where Athrun still sat.

"Don't look so bummed out! I'm sure Athrun can make one for you," he winked at his petite friend and smiled again. The reddish-brown haired girl just nodded and waltzed away. Unfortunately, she had to stroll past the table that Dearka, Yzak, and Shinn were still at to get around the pool and to the bar. Without so much as a glance, head held high, she waltzed past them, eyes searching her surroundings, attempting to act nonchalantly.

"H-Hey Mir, long time no see," Dearka said. Miriallia simply waved casually as she continued past, not even making eye contact. The tan coordinator frowned and bowed his head in embarrassment. His best friend, Yzak, sneered at the girl and shook his head.

"Man Dearka, I don't get it. Why waste your time with it? She's obviously not interested in even being friends, so let it go! Besides, I don't get what's so great about her anyway. There's plenty of fish in the sea, as they say."

"Really man, I gotta agree with Yzak. It's time to move on to other things," Shinn chimed in. Dearka slammed a fist on the table and stood without so much as a word. His friends stared at the angry coordinator, brows raised in astonishment.

"That's enough from you two! Did I ask for your opinions? No, so drop it!" The blond abruptly stormed off toward the summer house, obviously fuming. Shinn looked at Yzak and frowned.

"I didn't think we were crossing any lines, did you?"

"No, but I guess we were wrong," Yzak said, shrugging and taking another drink.

"So, I hear you can help me make my drink." Athrun glanced up from his cup to meet sparkling, hopeful blue eyes peering down at him. He shrugged, thankful for a distraction from his thoughts and smiled. It wasn't a happy one, and Miriallia could tell that, but she needed the drink, and distraction for herself, so she sat next to Athrun and pushed her cup toward him.

"What'll it be, Miriallia?" Athrun moved around to the other side of the small bar and began rinsing the cup.

"I'd like a pina colada please, a little heavy on the Malibu rum," she smirked as Athrun gave her a surprised look. "What? A girl's gotta have fun." She giggled and smiled wider. Athrun just started putting ice in the mixer that was under the counter. Then he reached into the cooler behind him for some mix. He pulled a bottle of Malibu from under the counter too, and started pouring.

"I can understand that, I guess," he said as he continued with the contents. He threw in a couple of chunks of pineapple and put the lid on. With a quick flip of the switch they watched the blender chop and mix everything together. When it was finished, he poured the contents into two glasses and garnished them with a slice of pineapple.

"Thanks, Athrun. You're a lifesaver!" Mir gladly sipped her drink. "The pineapple was a great additive. I'll have to remember that!" She sipped again.

"Looks like I'm just in time," another softer, sweeter voice said. They both turned to see Meyrin waltz up, empty cup in hand. Athrun pushed the second full one toward her and took her empty one, tossing in a small sink to his left. The red head smiled and took a big drink. "Ooh, yummy!" She drank again.

"Thanks for the compliment. It was nothing though, easy really," Athrun blushed as he turned to get out from behind the bar. He joined the two on the other side, and they began a conversation about drink recipes, trading ideas and secrets.

*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Cagalli stood and turned toward the bar.

"I think I need another drink, excuse me." She started walking when she caught sight of Meyrin, Athrun, and Miriallia drinking and laughing away at the tiki bar. She frowned and turned, jealousy flashing in her eyes. Kira, Lacus, and Lunamaria frowned and looked behind her. When they saw the little scene, they all sighed.

"Uh, never mind." The blond set her glass down and started walking the other way.

"Cagalli, what's up?" Kira called to her. She stopped and turned, attempting a smile and shrug.

"Nothing. I just didn't realize how much I'd had already Kira. I think I should take a break." She waltzed to the other end of the large pool and slumped onto a chair.

"All the way over there?" Kira asked. Cagalli just nodded and laid back, covering her eyes with one arm. _I just need a sec to relax, is that so much to ask for?_ she thought angrily.

In the meantime, unbeknownst to her, Kira, Lacus, and Luna were all talking quietly.

"Okay, not to sound bitchy or anything, but come on! Your sister has got to loosen up! What's the deal with her lately?" the hot pink haired coordinator said.

"I agree, but I don't know how to get her to!" Kira said, looking at the two girls. "Any suggestions here?"

"Um, I have one, but I don't know if your sister will appreciate it," Lacus spoke quietly, looking guiltily at the ground. She intertwined her hands nervously.

"What is it, Lacus?" Luna asked.

"Well, what if…" she whispered first into Kira's ear, then Luna's. The two coordinators grinned widely at each other and stood, nodding toward each other. Kira kissed Lacus on the forehead.

"You are a genius!" he whispered as he and Luna began walking away. Lacus smirked nervously, hoping she didn't just commit some horrendous act.

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Cagalli felt her mind drifting away, all thoughts turning to her father again. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled, feeling every muscle relax as she continued shielding her eyes. The acohol was working her system, she felt a little dizzy, but despite that, the sun felt wonderful. She welcomed the heat on her skin and smiled.

_Oh father, if only you were here now,_ she thought to herself. _I can remember so many things about this place. I even remember the very first time we came here. It seems so long ago now, but I won't ever forget that magical time, the peace and love you, me, and mother shared together. Who would've thought things would turn out this way, huh?_ Cagalli let out a cynical giggle and sighed.

_Then again, if we had known, would you have made the choices you did? Or would things have been different for us?_ The young natural continued with her thoughts, feeling herself drifting off to sleep. Just as she was about to pass out, she felt a sudden jolt of her chair and sat up. Her eyes blinked several times as she tried to adjust to the bright light. Just as they did, she looked down and saw crystal clear pool water directly in front of her. If she so much as tried to get off, she would tumble right in!

"W-what's going on?" she looked to her left and right, and there was Kira and Shinn, on each side of her, hoisting her chair into the air. Cagalli's amber eyes went wide in disbelief and horror.

"Kira Yamato and Shinn Asuka, you had better put me down this instant!" she screamed. The boys just smiled and nodded.

"Whatever you say-" Kira started.

"Princess," Shinn finished. Then, without so much as a warning, the two tipped her chair forward and Cagalli went right into the 12 foot end of the pool, screaming. Her head emerged two seconds later, and she was coughing.

"What the hell is going on over here?" Ahtrun, Meyrin, and Mir had all run over as soon as they saw what was happening. They were trying to suppress giggles as they watched a soaked Cagalli climbing out of the pool. Kira and Shinn, who had been laughing hysterically, frowned when they say the look on Cagalli's face.

"I'm giving you three seconds to run, and then I'm coming for you. One," she started ticking off her fingers. Shinn and Kira backed up, eyes wide in fear.

"N-now Cagalli, we were just joking around! You don't have to take it seriously!" Shinn's voice got higher as he said the words.

"Yea, Cagalli, come on! It was just a little practical joke! You wouldn't hurt us, right?" Kira refuted. Cagalli stopped ticking her fingers, brow raised, a strange glint in her eye.

"You're right, I wouldn't. Oh Lacus, Luna?" The fuming blond turned toward her two girlfriends, smiling as innocently as possible.

"W-what is it, Cagalli?" Lacus asked, a bit worried about her friend's look.

"Would you two mind doing the honors? I wouldn't want to have to actually hurt them, and we all know if I were to get my hands on them right now, I would," she stated matter-of-factly. The girls looked at each other and nodded, smiling. Even though it was Lacus's idea, and Luna had asked Shinn to help, they couldn't pass up the chance to get their boyfriends. It was too much fun!

"Sure thing Cagalli. We've got this one for you." Luna and Lacus turned toward the two coordinators and smiled.

"Oh Kira? Can I see you for a moment?" Lacus asked sweetly, batting her lashes at him. Kira groaned and walked towards her, shoulders slumped in defeat. The two meeting at the edge of the pool, just in front of Cagalli, who was now between Athrun and Yzak, arms crossed and a smug look on her face. Luna had Shinn standing next to Kira, and both boys looked frightened.

"W-what's up?" They asked in unison, though they knew what was coming. They cringed as the two girls merely kissed them on the cheek and then shoved them into the water. The boys came up and swam to the ladder to get out. Everyone was laughing at them now.

"Serves you right after what you did!" Cagalli said, though she couldn't help but laugh too.

"Well, it wasn't our idea!" Shinn protested as he and Kira waltzed over, blue and red swim trunks now dripping wet. They pushed their hair out of their eyes and frowned. Shinn pointed at Lacus, who was cowering behind Kira. "It was the pink princess's!"

"And Luna and I asked Shinn to cooperate," Kira added. Cagalli turned to her friends expectantly.

"Is that true? You two are the cause of this?" She raised a brow at them. The two just sunk their heads down and nodded, as if children about to be punished. Instead, Cagalli just giggled, and the giggle eventually escalated into a laugh. Everyone else looked at her in astonishment.

"Y-you're not mad?" Athrun asked. Cagalli had to stop giggling before she could anser.

"I'm furious!" The blond peeled off her dress to reveal her yellow swimsuit underneath. She tossed the dress onto a chair and turned around, an evil smile on her face. "Ah, much better!" she said. Then, without another word to anyone, she grabbed Luna, who was right next to Yzak, by the wrists and started dragging her toward the pool.

"C-cagalli, wait! Come on! I don't even have my dress off yet!" The short haired girl pulled and struggled as Cagalli's grip got tighter.

"Didn't seem to care when it was me though, did you?"

"The girl has a point," they heard Shinn squeeze out between laughs. Luna turned to glare daggers at her boyfriend. Shinn immediately stopped laughing and crouched behind Athrun, and that's when everyone burst into giggles again.

"Hey Shinn, I think you should run before Luna comes for you," Yzak remarked. He was smirking at the cowering coordinator. Shin just stuck out his tongue. He thought about Yzak's suggestion though, and decided to run for it just as Luna was tossed in. That got outright laughter from everyone.

"Lacus, I think you'd better let me, unless you want to wait for Cagalli," Kira turned to his girlfriend, who was giggling at a pissed off and soaking wet Luna.

"Okay Kira," she said. Kira swept up his pink bikini clad girlfriend into his arms and waltzed over to the edge, right next to Cagalli.

"Do you mind?" he asked his sister. She bowed and made a swooping gesture with her right arm.

"Be my guest, brother dear," she replied. Kira smiled and tossed Lacus into the pool. She resurfaced, smiling and giggling.

"The water's not bad. I think I'll stay in for a bit," she said. Kira dived in and resurfaced next to her.

"Me too. I like the water," he said.

"Well, you two enjoy yourselves," Athrun replied as he watched two of his best friends start swimming toward the other end. He felt a cool hand on his arm and looked down.

"Come on now, you didn't think you'd be exempt from this, now did you?" A mischievous looking Cagalli smiled brightly as she and Miriallia tugged on each of his arms, pulling him forward.

"H-hey! Girls! Wait a-" he didn't get to finish because they had pushed him smack into the water, creating a huge splash. Kira and Lacus shook their heads and laughed as Miriallia and Cagalli jumped in to join them.

"Cagalli, Mir, I'll get you two for that!" Athrun playfully called as he started swimming for the girls. They were cracking up as they dodged his little attacks.

"I think we should get going," Meyrin said. Yzak nodded and the two of them made their way toward the house before anyone else could be thrown into the pool.


End file.
